WASHINGTON — Mayor Gary Manier said Wednesday he'll attend President Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday as the guest of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Illinois.

Manier said Kirk viewed the devastation done in Washington by the Nov. 17 tornado a few days after the storm and vowed to do everything he could to help in the recovery efforts.

"I knew then he wouldn't forget us, and he hasn't," Manier said. "He wanted to know how people survived, and where they were. His concern was heartfelt. I feel we bonded that day."

Despite wind chills in the single digits, Manier said, Kirk walked through the rubble and talked with workers clearing debris.

Kirk and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, have joined forces in a bipartisan effort to convince the Federal Emergency Management Agency to change its formula for providing financial assistance to communities devastated by a disaster.